


Boxer!Kai

by MissPearlescent



Category: EXO (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, One Shot, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissPearlescent/pseuds/MissPearlescent
Summary: As the manager of an elite boxer named Kai, you are in charge of his entire life including scheduling and calorie counting. However, you have a life of your own that involves a crazy ex-boyfriend. Kai makes it a mission of his to find a better match for you, whether that means using a dating app or taking the reins in his own hands.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Reader, Kim Jongin | Kai/You
Kudos: 28





	Boxer!Kai

**Author's Note:**

> Just a stoic, hard boxer named Kai, being all cute and shit (｡♥‿♥｡)
> 
> Word count: ~3400
> 
> Warnings: abusive ex, drink spiking

“You still have that app on your phone?”

You cut Kai a look, angling your phone away. “What app?”

He acted like he was busy fixing the cuffs to his suit, staring out the window as the city’s lights whizzed by. “The dating one.” The dark grey of his outfit today really complimented his jet black hair, adding to his title of “Silent Devil” in the ring.

“Those links hook, not clip,” you murmured. After watching him struggle for a second, you reached over the middle seat, taking Kai’s wrist and fixing his cuffs for him. “And what’s wrong with having a dating app?”

He shrugged, letting his arm fall to your lap so you could hook the other two cuff links. “Didn’t you have a bad experience on that app last year?”

You shrugged too, mimicking him. “Yeah, but you win some, you lose some. Isn’t that what you always say to me when you lose a fight?”

“I don’t lose fights often,” he said, giving you a soft poke in the shoulder with his free hand.

You rolled your eyes, patting his hand as if you were a placating mother with a rambunctious child. The reality wasn’t that far off anyway. “Sure, sure. And I don’t date often, so let me swipe around for fun.”

“What’s your type anyway?” Kai leaned back and popped a few peanuts from the snack bag hanging from the front seat of the car. You watched him with those peanuts, calculating, and he caught your eye. “I know, mom-ager I know. I shouldn’t have these.”

You shook your head and pulled out your notebook, flipping to the nutritional chart that you kept for Kai and his trainer. “No, you’re still okay for the day. I’m just counting how many calories each of those would be.” Quickly, you scribbled down a rough estimate and then put your book away. “And I don’t have a type.”

Kai scoffed, running a finger over his lip. “Everyone has a type.”

“Not me.”

His eyes narrowed. “I can guarantee you that all your past boyfriends share something similar. Quiet nerd? Bad boy? Rich yacht owner who spends his winters on a tropical island?” Oh, how nice that would be.

The car made a turn and you checked your makeup in your pocket mirror, knowing there was about four minutes left before you guys arrived at the venue. “No, no, and definitely not. The last guy I dated was the disaster case you were talking about, and he was none of those things.”

“Hmm.” Through the corner of your eyes, you could still see that he was watching you intently. You pretended not to noticed by checking your phone, fixing your bangs, and staring out the window. But then he nudged your leg with his shoe and you couldn’t ignore him. “So tell me about the other guys you’ve dated.”

Ah, what a question.

An uncomfortable silence settled as you watched the cars outside. The vehicles were getting swankier, the people were dressing better. This was the part of town that you would never have stepped foot into if it wasn’t for your job. You gulped, knowing you didn’t quite fit in.

“Hello?” Kai waved a hand in front of your face. “Anybody home?”

You licked your lips and patted your bag. “We’re almost there. You ready for tonight?” Forcing a smile on your lips, you turned to face him.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me that scum from last year was the only guy you’ve ever dated.”

Your stomach suddenly felt like it had sunk to your feet. You wanted to crawl into a hole while simultaneously vomit enough bile to fill an ocean. Instead, you simply shook your head and swatted the air. “Oh, he’s not scum. He’s just got a few issues. Don’t we all?”

Kai caught you by the wrist, making your breath catch in your throat. He leveled you with a look, one that you saw him utilize many times in the ring. “Listen to me. If I remember correctly, then what he did to you wasn’t right. He has his problems, but he had no reason to take it out on you. You deserve ten times better than somebody like him. A thousand times better.” His voice had gotten deeper with every word until he had leaned in and was practically whispering to you. “Do you hear me?”

You nodded, unable to make a sound.

“Good,” he murmured, his tone suddenly softening. He rubbed his thumb gently along the pulse on your wrist as he continued. “Do you want me to introduce you to anybody tonight? I can put in a good word for you.”

You breathed out a laugh as you pulled your hand away, unable to stand the tenderness that he showed. Kai was a boxer and your boss, not somebody you could rely on for emotional comfort. You had only confided in him because your ex had broken up with you while you were working. Kai was there when you had received that heartbreaking text message.

He was there too when you had been at the clinic, getting stitches for the side of your head.

You reached up and rubbed the spot at your temple where the scar still lingered. It throbbed, and you hoped that your fringe would cover it enough tonight for the event.

“Do you need some time off?” he asked as the car pulled into the parking lot.

You furrowed your brows, suddenly worried at his sad expression. “No, why?” You pushed your bangs over, hiding the scar. “I’m fine.”

His eyes caught the movement, but he still put on a small smile. “No. I mean, to date. You are young and beautiful. You should be flirting with all the guys, not working all day.”

Did...did Kai just call you beautiful?

The car suddenly felt too small as your heart leapt to your throat.

Kai, the youngest boxer to set all the records of the decade, the man who multiple magazines have acclaimed to be the “Sexiest Man on Earth”, the one who had hundreds of models blowing up his phone...

He just called you beautiful?

No, no, no.

This wasn’t okay. You were weak to nice words. That was how your last boyfriend had hooked you for so long.

You plastered on a big smile and reached for your phone. “I know how to manage my time wisely. That’s why I have the dating app, silly.”

Kai let out a laugh, his hair falling over his eyes. “Remind me never to doubt my manager again, _mom_.”

Even though you were younger than him, Kai often liked to tease you for your strict organization. You didn’t mind it, because it helped you keep your job and do it well. “ _Mom_ -ager, you mean,” you teased back, sticking out your tongue.

-

You waited at the back of the dressing room as Kai walked through the door, thanking everybody that crowded around him. You watched as he accepted flowers and pats on the back for his win. He was breathless, his built chest heaving as he tried to say his thanks for everybody supporting him.

He mopped his sweat with a towel and then searched the room. His eyes found yours, his brow raising up to say hello.

You smiled and waved back, waiting for the crowd to dissipate.

Instead, he walked through, pulling you into a hug.

“Kai—mmph!” He was sweaty, and he knew it as he pressed your cheek to his chest.

But this was the routine now after every fight. He called it “Thanking His Good Luck Charm,” but you knew he was just trying to mess with you. Sometimes, he even topped off the hug with a noogie.

“I have makeup on!” you tried to tell him even though your voice was muffled. Still, he held you for a second longer.

When he let you back away, his cheeks were dimpled with a smile. “Were you impressed?” he asked.

You pretended like you were wiping away a bucket of slime from your cheeks. “No, I’m disgusted.”

He barked a laugh and helped you fix the loose strands of your hair around your temple. The air around you went still as he leaned in. You stopped, suddenly aware that the whole room was getting quiet.

Kai seemed oblivious, and you noticed that his gaze was more serious now. Heated. He was staring at your lips.

In turn, you saw his. Cracked, bleeding.

You hated when he got hurt on the job, but there was nothing to prevent the little scuffs he got. You touched the back of your hand to his lips, trying to stop the blood.

“You’re bleeding,” you whispered.

His eyes curved as he smiled. His lips...they moved too against the back of your hand.

Did he just accidentally kiss the back of your hand?

You cleared your throat and pulled away. “Shower,” you told him. “Shower, clothes, then hair.”

His sneaky smile lingered as he bowed his head in obedience. “Whatever you say.”

-

You took Kai’s wrist again as he shoved a boiled egg into his mouth. The press conference for the fight had just finished, another press event where Kai hardly spoke, and now the two of you were getting ready for the after party.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Hold still,” you muttered, wrestling with the stupid cuff link that hooked and didn’t clip. Who designed this jacket anyway? Must’ve been a rich person with an entourage to help them get dressed. A moment later half a boiled egg was pressed against your lips. “Mmph!” You tried to lean away but Kai followed you with the egg, making sure you ate it.

A chuckle came from your side and you glared at Kai’s hairdresser as you chewed the egg in defeat. “Okay, children, settle down.” The man was old and bald, but he had a gift for styling hair.

“Question for you,” Kai said, looking at the older gentleman through the mirror. “What kind of boyfriend would be good for a tidy, organized, manager-type girl?”

Your glare turned to Kai, his expression completely innocent.

The hairdresser laughed and caught your death glare, the warning telling him not to say anything that could overstep. “Oh, I don’t know. Somebody she likes?”

“That’s the problem. She doesn’t know who she likes.”

You seethed silently as you fixed Kai’s other sleeve, ready to exit from the conversation as soon as possible. “I’m right here, Kai.”

He slid you a smirk. “I know. Feel free to eat more,” he said, gesturing to the salad in front of him.

“Well, what does she like?” The hairdresser pulled out a dryer and began running it through Kai’s hair with a brush.

Kai thought for a second as he scooped some lettuce into his mouth. “She likes to take care of people. She makes sure they eat and get to places on time. She even has a planner to track calories for other people.” He chuckled, a bit of lettuce falling onto his lap. “Kind of like a mom.”

Okay, that was enough teasing.

You brushed the piece of lettuce off his lap and turned away, your hands stiff at your sides. “I’ll be with the event manager if you need anything. Let me know when you’re ready.”

“Ah, come on.” Kai wiped his lips and pushed out of his chair. “I was just kidding—Ow!” Thankfully, the hairdresser pulled him back down and turned on the hairdryer again, drowning out whatever Kai wanted to say.

You huffed out a breath, suddenly dreading the after party. It was always the part you loved because it was a chance to observe people completely out of your circle. But it also meant socializing.

And you were tired of socializing for today.

-

Kai was tired of talking for today.

No, that was a lie.

He was tired of talking to these people.

The room was dark and hot. He pulled at his collar as he scanned the venue. There were too many bodies pressed together, too many voices trying to shout over each other.

And his little manager was nowhere to be seen.

In the car ride from the ring to the after party, she had all but ignored him. He knew he had fucked up big time back at the dressing room, so he tried to make her laugh by listing off some of the weird people she might see at the party.

“ _Sehun is a famous designer that gets invited to all the parties because he’s apparently some sex god and starts an orgy at every event he attends._ ”

“ _Hm._ ”

“ _There’s a music producer named Chanyeol that is friends with everyone but close with no one. Some say he has dirt on every A-lister out there._ ”

“ _Interesting._ ”

Kai remembered nearly breaking into a sweat in the car as he tried to make conversation. “ _Hey, do you like rich guys? Because I heard the richest man in the country—I think his name is Suho—will be attending tonight._ ”

“ _I see._ ”

And that was when Kai knew he needed to shut up. He had two older sisters; he knew when a girl was mad at him, and he knew when to be quiet.

But now all he wanted to do was talk to her. He was done pretending to be buddies with the Chanyeol’s and Suho’s off the world. He wanted to be back in the dimly lit car, teasing his manager about being overly organized.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best approach to striking a conversation with her either.

He caught her black ponytail swishing across the floor, beside a bar. She was chatting...with two men. Her cheeks became round as she smiled up at them.

His hand automatically clenched into a fist.

He eyed the two men, trying to see if he recognized them. Chen and Baekhyun, two guys part of a trio that was known for their angelic voices and wild antics. The third member, Xiumin, couldn’t be far away.

Kai narrowed his eyes as he watched. He could’ve sworn Baekhyun just winked at her.

The drink in his hand suddenly turned sour as he took a swig. Chen and Xiumin, he approved of. They were kindhearted and always humble. But Baekhyun? He was the flirtiest of the three, despite having a longtime on-again, off-again relationship with a top celebrity that Kai couldn’t remember the name of. Even a whisper of his name meant trouble.

Kai couldn’t let his little manager go through another heartbreak. He rubbed his chest, remembering the heaviness as he watched his employee turn from a strict mother to a young girl as she tried not to cry after receiving a break up text. It was the same toughness she showed when she had called in sick because she needed to go to the clinic for stitches.

After her ex had pushed her in the kitchen, causing her to hit her head against the corner of the dining table.

Kai remembered the threatening looks that the nurses gave him when he arrived at the clinic. They probably thought he was the piece of shit that had pushed her. Nobody—not him or the nurses—believed his manager when she had initially told them she had simply tripped over her own two feet and cracked her head on the furniture. It was much easier to point fingers at Kai, who had rushed into the appointment looking frantic and irate.

But he didn’t care. They could ask all the questions they wanted. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.

He waited an hour for her and immediately pulled her into a huge hug after she stepped out. She was surprised, as was he, but he told himself he was just relieved to see her.

What was he supposed to think when she left him a tearful voice message with nurses in the background clucking away?

He took the day off from training. Instead, he drove her to her ex’s place to pick up her stuff, then to a cafe where she told him as much as she could handle, and then they looked around for apartments for her together.

He also kissed her that evening, but that was something that neither of them brought up. She must have regretted it because she pretended like it had never happened, like that entire day had never happened. She simply thanked him for his help, and suddenly the topic was buried away.

Now Kai only wished to help her find somebody she could rely on. If she needed a bodyguard, he could be there. He was a top boxer, after all. But she needed somebody who was smart like her, resilient like her, and could take care of her when she expended herself to take care of others.

Baekhyun with his fucking wink was _not_ the guy for her.

She tossed her head back in a laugh, as if she had heard his running thoughts, and that’s when he saw it.

He didn’t know who the man was or what he did for a living. But Kai saw the sleight of hand. The little drop of thick liquid from the vial under his sleeve.

Kai watched as his little manager lifted the drink to her lips, painted red to attract every single bachelor in this room.

He kicked away from his seat and went straight for her, seeing red. The strange man slid away, merging into the crowd, and Kai contemplated going after him to strangle the guy.

But he needed to get the drink away from her first.

He caught her eye, and she stopped, mid-sip. Her eyes widened. His expression must’ve been deadly. She set down the glass and gulped.

Her small hand went to her throat as she studied her drink. Then she set it down on the bar and excused herself from the men.

Kai followed, pushing through the crowds and shaking off the hands that tried to stop him. He needed to get to her, to make sure she was safe.

He went after her, through the long hallways and down the stairs until he ended up at a single stall bathroom.

He pushed the door before it closed on him and stepped inside to find his manager on her knees in front of the toilet, trying to make herself throw up with a finger down her throat.

Locking the door behind him, he grabbed a handful of tissues and knelt beside her, brushing away her hair and wiping her chin. “I saw it happen. Somebody tried to lace your drink.”

“I know,” she cried as she gagged. “I can taste it.”

Tears were streaming down her face and he wiped at them carefully.

“Please take me home. I just want to go home.”

Kai’s hand was shaking as he held her ponytail out of the way. “Are you going to be okay at home?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. My ex did this to me during our ski trip, and I fell asleep for almost a day afterwards.” She coughed, clutching her stomach. “If I don’t throw it up, I’m going to pass out in less than an hour.”

Kai’s hand reached out by itself and pulled his little manager into his arms. He wasn’t breathing properly. No, he was fuming.

Her ex did this to her?

What. A. Sick. Fuck.

“How do I...What can I...” Kai growled in frustration, cradling her head against his chest. Her bangs fell out of the way and the angry red scar at her temple stared up at him, reminding him how vulnerable she was. “What do you need?”

“Sleep. A bed. Home.” She was pressing her face into his shirt, sobbing into it. “Anything.”

He folded her into his arms, rubbing her back gently. “I’ll take you home, but I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”

“But your schedule,” she sniffled. “The driver is coming to pick you up at 11:30pm.”

Kai breathed out a shaky laugh. Even at a time like this, she was still stellar at her job. “What if i want to pencil in another event in my schedule?”

She rubbed her tear-stained eyes, her mascara smudging a little bit. “What do you want to pencil in?” Her hands automatically went to her hip where her bag usually hung.

He bit his lip, holding back a chuckle at her cute habits. Catching her wrist, he rubbed her pulse with his thumb. “It’s all right. Let me take care of you tonight, my little manager.”

**Author's Note:**

> When I first thought of this idea, it involved a bunch of sex, but I was sex’d out by the last couple of things I wrote LOOOL I just wanted to put out something cute, but I didn’t want to spend forever elaborating on world building. I have sooooo many works-in-progress that abruptly end after the characters first meet. I know exactly how they’re gonna end up and what’s going to happen, but I don’t want to write the boring in-betweens! LOL Oh, and this is likely going to be the only boxer!au I ever write because I don’t like writing fighting scenes (can you tell by the lack of fighter scenes here haha...) but I’m not opposed to future ideas :D
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys for reading all this dialogue + back and forth POVs :)))))))))))))
> 
> P.S. I have a lot to say about abusive relationships, but it makes my blood boil every time I talk about them so I hate writing about them! However, it is a very real topic!!!!!!! Please check in on yourself and the loved ones around you! Know that you are NOT alone!


End file.
